ROTOR BLADE COMPONENTS HAVING VARYING FIBER DENSITY REGIONS

• US 20170058861A1
• Filed: 08/26/2015
• Published: 03/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Tobin, James Robert, Caruso, Christopher Daniel, Yarbrough, Aaron A., Hynum, Daniel Alan
• Granted Patent: US 10,400,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/08 using ultrasonic vibrations non-plastics element to plastics elements B29C65/645
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/10 using hot gases (e.g. combustion gases) or flames coming in contact with at least one of the parts to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/14 using wave energy , i.e. electromagnetic radiation, or particle radiation using mechanical waves B29C65/06; using ultrasonic waves B29C65/08; pressing means transparent to electromagnetic radiation B29C66/81267
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/1412 Infrared [IR] radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/16 Laser beams
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/34 using heated elements which remain in the joint, e.g. "verlorenes Schweisselement"
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/112 Single lapped joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/114 Single butt joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1142 Single butt to butt joints
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/301 Three-dimensional joints, i.e. the joined area being substantially non-flat B29C66/5223, B29C66/5224, B29C66/5225 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/43441 with two right angles, e.g. for making T-shaped pieces, H-shaped pieces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/543 joining more than two hollow-preforms to form said hollow articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/61 Joining from or joining on the inside for making tubes by bending sheets and joining from the inside B29C53/387
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/636 using a support which remains in the joined object
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/72141 Fibres of continuous length
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73132 of different density, i.e. the density of one of the parts to be joined being different from the density of the other part
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/73921 characterised by the materials of both parts being thermoplastics
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/085 Wind turbine blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 1/0675 : of the blades
• CPC Class Codes: F03D 80/50 : Maintenance or repair
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2230/80 : Repairing, retrofitting or upgrading methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/72 : Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A rotor blade for a wind turbine may generally include a first blade component formed from a first fiber-reinforced composite including a first thermoplastic resin material and a second blade component configured to be coupled to the first blade component at a joint interface. The second blade component may be formed from a second fiber-reinforced composite including a second thermoplastic resin material. The second fiber-reinforced composite may include a low fiber region and a high fiber region, with the low fiber region having a fiber-weight fraction that is less than a fiber-weight fraction of the high fiber region. In addition, the first thermoplastic resin material of the first fiber-reinforced composite may be welded to the second thermoplastic resin material contained within the low fiber region of the second thermoplastic composite to form a welded joint at the joint interface between the first blade component and the second blade component.

Claims

1. A rotor blade for a wind turbine, the rotor blade comprising:

a first blade component formed from a first fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers and a first thermoplastic resin material; and

a second blade component configured to be coupled to the first blade component at a joint interface, the second blade component formed from a second fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers and a second thermoplastic resin material, the second fiber-reinforced composite including a low fiber region disposed at the joint interface and a high fiber region spaced apart from the joint interface, the low fiber region having a fiber-weight fraction that is less than a fiber-weight fraction of the high fiber region,

wherein the first thermoplastic resin material of the first fiber-reinforced composite is welded to the second thermoplastic resin material contained within the low fiber region of the second thermoplastic composite to form a welded joint at the joint interface between the first blade component and the second blade component.

2. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the fiber-weight fraction of the low fiber region ranges from greater than zero to less than 65% and the fiber-weight faction of the high fiber region is equal to or greater than 65%.

3. The rotor blade of claim 2, wherein the fiber-weight fraction of the low fiber region ranges from greater than zero to less than 60% and the fiber-weight faction of the high fiber region is greater than 70%.

4. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the fiber-weight fraction of the low fiber region ranges from greater than zero to less than 10%.

5. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the first fiber-reinforced composite includes a first low fiber region disposed at the joint interface and a first high fiber region spaced apart from the joint interface, the first low fiber region having a fiber-weight fraction that is less than a fiber-weight fraction of the first high fiber region, wherein the first thermoplastic resin material contained within the first low fiber region of the first fiber-reinforced composite is welded to the second thermoplastic resin material contained within the low fiber region of the second thermoplastic composite to form the welded joint.

6. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the first thermoplastic resin material is the same as the second thermoplastic resin material.

7. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the rotor blade corresponds to a modular rotor blade formed from a plurality of blade components, wherein the first blade component corresponds to a blade root section, a blade tip section, a leading edge segment, a trailing edge segment, a pressure side segment, a suction side segment, a spar cap or a shear web of the modular blade and wherein the second blade component comprises a blade component of the modular rotor blade configured to be coupled to the first blade component at the joint interface.

8. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the first blade component comprises one of a pressure side shell, a suction side shell, a spar cap or a shear web of the rotor blade and the second blade component comprises a blade component of the rotor blade configured to be coupled to the first blade component at the joint interface.

9. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the low fiber region corresponds to less than 10% by weight of the second fiber-reinforced composite.

10. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the low fiber region corresponds to less than 5% by weight of the second fiber-reinforced composite.

18. The rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the first low fiber region corresponds to less than 10% by weight of the first fiber-reinforced composite and wherein the second low fiber region corresponds to less than 10% by weight of the second fiber-reinforced composite.

11. A rotor blade for a wind turbine, the rotor blade comprising:

a first blade component formed from a first fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers and a first thermoplastic resin material, the first fiber-reinforced composite including a first low fiber region defining a first exterior surface of the first blade component and a first high fiber region spaced apart from the first exterior surface, the first low fiber region having a fiber-weight fraction that is less than a fiber-weight faction of the first high fiber region; and

a second blade component configured to be coupled to the first blade component at a joint interface, the second blade component formed from a second fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers and a second thermoplastic resin material, the second fiber-reinforced composite including a second low fiber region defining a second exterior surface of the second blade component and a second high fiber region spaced apart from the second exterior surface, the second low fiber region having a fiber-weight fraction that is less than a fiber-weight faction of the second high fiber region,

wherein the first thermoplastic resin material contained within the first low fiber region of the first fiber-reinforced composite is welded to the second thermoplastic resin material contained within the second low fiber region of the second thermoplastic composite to form a welded joint at the joint interface defined between the first and second exterior surfaces of the first and second blade components.

12. The rotor blade of claim 11, wherein the fiber-weight fraction of each of the first and second low fiber regions ranges from greater than zero to less than 65% and the fiber-weight faction of each of the first and second high fiber regions is equal to or greater than 65%.

13. The rotor blade of claim 12, wherein the fiber-weight fraction of each of the first and second low fiber regions ranges from greater than zero to less than 60% and the fiber-weight faction of each of the first and second high fiber regions is greater than 70%.

14. The rotor blade of claim 11, wherein the fiber-weight fraction of the first low fiber region differs from the fiber-weight fraction of the second low fiber region.

15. The rotor blade of claim 11, wherein the first thermoplastic resin material is the same as the second thermoplastic resin material.

16. The rotor blade of claim 11, wherein the rotor blade corresponds to a modular rotor blade formed from a plurality of blade components, wherein the first blade component corresponds to a blade root section, a blade tip section, a leading edge segment, a trailing edge segment, a pressure side segment, a suction side segment, a spar cap or a shear web of the modular blade and wherein the second blade component comprises a blade component of the modular rotor blade configured to be coupled to the first blade component at the joint interface.

17. The rotor blade of claim 11, wherein the first blade component comprises one of a pressure side shell, a suction side shell, a spar cap or a shear web of the rotor blade and the second blade component comprises a blade component of the rotor blade configured to be coupled to the first blade component at the joint interface.

19. A method for assembling a rotor blade, the method comprising:

positioning a first blade component adjacent to a second blade component at a joint interface to be defined between the first and second blade components, the first blade component being formed from a first fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers and a first thermoplastic resin material, the second blade component being formed from a second fiber-reinforced composite including a plurality of fibers and a second thermoplastic resin material, the second fiber-reinforced composite including a low fiber region disposed at the joint interface and a high fiber region spaced apart from the joint interface, the low fiber region having a fiber-weight fraction that is less than a fiber-weight fraction of the high fiber region; and

welding a portion of the first thermoplastic resin material of the first fiber-reinforced composite to a portion of the second thermoplastic resin material contained within the low fiber region of the second thermoplastic composite to form a welded joint at the joint interface between the first blade component and the second blade component.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first fiber-weight fraction of the low fiber region ranges from greater than zero to less than 65% and the fiber-weight faction of the high fiber region is equal to or greater than 65%.